The World’s #1 Collection of Cookbook Recipes Online
roasting American, British, English
aromatic-christmas-ham

Photo by: Lis Parsons

There’s no absolute need to have a cold Christmas ham on a welcome table, but there are few sights more seasonally cheering. I like to have some of the salty pink meat carved, and some still clove-studded and gorgeously whole, as a joint, on a wooden board. Obviously, it’s fabulous hot, too.

Yield : Serves approximately 10

Ingredients

  • 14 lbs uncooked ham
  • 1 cup red wine
  • Water to cover
  • 1 large onion, halved
  • 3 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
  • 1 fennel bulb, halved
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seed
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns

For the glaze:

  • Approximately 20 whole cloves
  • ¼ cup cranberry or red currant jelly
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Soak the ham in cold water for 48 hours (or 24 hours if you like a saltier ham), changing the water every 8 hours. Put all the ingredients, except those for the glaze, into a large pan, on the stove but off the heat, adding fresh water until the ham is covered.

2. Turn on the heat and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and partially cover the pan. Cook for about 3 ½ hours. (This may not seem long for a big ham, but as it will carry on cooking as it cools, and this is going to be eaten cold, I don’t want it overcooked. Nor do you.)

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lift the ham gently out of the hot liquid, sit it on a board and let it cool slightly, not too much but just so that you can touch it without burning yourself.

4. With a sharp knife, strip off the rind, and a little of the fat layer if it’s very thick, but leave a thin layer of fat. I love this work: it is peculiarly gratifying seeing the hot blubbery fat slither off. Use the same knife to score a diamond pattern on the remaining fat on the ham, in lines about ¾ inch apart. Stud the points of each diamond with a clove.

5. Put the cranberry or red currant jelly, cinnamon, paprika and red wine vinegar into a little saucepan and whisk together over a high heat, bringing it to the boil. Let the pan bubble away, for about 5 minutes, so that the glaze reduces to a syrupy consistency that will coat the fat on the ham.

6. Now sit the ham in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, as the sugar in the glaze will burn in the oven as it drips off. Pour the glaze over the diamond-studded ham, then put it in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the glazed fat has caught and burnished. Take the ham out of the oven and sit it on a wooden board to cool (2-3 hours) before you carve it.

Notes

MAKED AHEAD TIP:

Cook the ham, loosely cover in a “tent” of aluminum foil and keep chilled for up to 1 week.


© 2008, 2009 Nigella Lawson
 

Nutritional Information

Nutrients per serving

1299 kcal
10 % daily value
10 % daily value
0 % daily value
3422 mg
174 mg
177 g
5 g
2 g
13 g
443 mg
17072 mg
18 g
53 g
44 % daily value

Explore Cookbooks on Cookstr

the-new-basics-cookbook The New Basics Cookbook
by Sheila Lukins, Julee Rosso
cooking-with-too-hot-tamales Cooking with Too Hot Tamales
by Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger
food-to-live-by Food to Live By
by Myra Goodman
martin-yans-china Martin Yan's China
by Martin Yan
young-and-hungry-more-than-100-recipes-for-cooking-fresh-and-affordable-food-for-everyone Young and Hungry: More Than...
by Dave Lieberman
a-new-way-to-cook A New Way to Cook
by Sally Schneider
daves-dinners-a-fresh-approach-to-home-cooked-meals Dave's Dinners: A Fresh App...
by Dave Lieberman
new-american-table New American Table
by Marcus Samuelsson
secrets-of-slow-cooking-creating-extraordinary-food-with-your-slow-cooker Secrets of Slow Cooking: Cr...
by Liana Krissoff
the-provence-cookbook The Provence Cookbook
by Patricia Wells
julias-kitchen-wisdom Julia's Kitchen Wisdom
by Julia Child
david-burkes-new-american-classics David Burke's New American ...
by David Burke, Judith Choate
david-rosengarten-entertains-fabulous-parties-for-food-lovers David Rosengarten Entertain...
by David Rosengarten
complete-book-of-indian-cooking-350-recipes-from-the-regions-of-india Complete Book of Indian Coo...
by Suneeta Vaswani
nancy-silvertons-sandwich-book Nancy Silverton's Sandwich ...
by Nancy Silverton
the-bread-bible The Bread Bible
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
seriously-simple-easy-recipes-for-creative-cooks Seriously Simple: Easy Reci...
by Diane Rossen Worthington
rice Rice
by Bonnie Tandy Leblang, Joanne Lamb Hayes
jacques-torres-a-year-in-chocolate-80-recipes-for-holidays-and-special-occasions Jacques Torres' A Year in C...
by Judith Choate, Jacques Torres
the-sushi-experience The Sushi Experience
by Hiroko Shimbo
the-mozza-cookbook The Mozza Cookbook
by Nancy Silverton
nigella-express Nigella Express
by Nigella Lawson
living-raw-food Living Raw Food
by Sarma Melngailis
unforgettable-desserts Unforgettable Desserts
by Dede Wilson
usa-cookbook U.S.A. Cookbook
by Sheila Lukins
125-best-vegan-recipes 125 Best Vegan Recipes
by Maxine Effenson Chuck, Beth Gurney
bistro-cooking-at-home-more-than-150-classic-and-contemporary-dishes Bistro Cooking at Home: Mor...
by Gordon Hamersley
spice Spice
by Ana Sortun
ham-an-obsession-with-the-hindquarter Ham: An Obsession with the ...
by Bruce Weinstein, Mark Scarbrough
everyday-chinese-cooking Everyday Chinese Cooking
by Katie Chin, Leeann Chin
amor-y-tacos Amor Y Tacos
by Deborah Schneider
a-bakers-odyssey A Baker's Odyssey
by Greg Patent
lidias-italy Lidia's Italy
by Lidia Bastianich
125-best-cupcake-recipes 125 Best Cupcake Recipes
by Julie Hasson
flavor Flavor
by Rocco DiSpirito
down-home-with-the-neelys-a-southern-family-cookbook Down Home with the Neelys: ...
by Gina Neely, Pat Neely
cooking-for-friends Cooking for Friends
by Gordon Ramsay
baked-explorations Baked Explorations
by Matt Lewis
the-lee-bros-southern-cookbook-stories-and-recipes-for-southerners-and-would-be-southerners The Lee Bros. Southern Cook...
by Ted Lee, Matt Lee
the-sweet-life The Sweet Life
by Kate Zuckerman
american-masala American Masala
by Suvir Saran
fresh-from-the-farmers-market-year-round-recipes-for-the-pick-of-the-crop Fresh from the Farmers' Mar...
by Janet Fletcher
the-gourmet-cookbook The Gourmet Cookbook
by Ruth Reichl
the-deen-bros-take-it-easy-quick-and-affordable-meals-the-whole-family-will-love The Deen Bros. Take It Easy...
by Bobby Deen, Jamie Deen
good-to-the-grain Good to the Grain
by Kim Boyce
le-bernardin-cookbook Le Bernardin Cookbook
by Eric Ripert, Maguy Le Coze
urban-italian-simple-recipes-and-true-stories-from-a-life-in-food Urban Italian: Simple Recip...
by Andrew Carmellini
big-fat-cookies Big Fat Cookies
by Elinor Klivans
raos-cookbook Rao's Cookbook
by Frank Pellegrino
chez-panisse-fruit Chez Panisse Fruit
by Alice Waters
mexican-everyday Mexican Everyday
by Rick Bayless
fresh-from-the-market Fresh from the Market
by Laurent Tourondel
hot-sour-salty-sweet Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet
by Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid
ice-creams-and-sorbets-cool-recipes Ice Creams and Sorbets: Coo...
by Lou Seibert Pappas
allergy-free-desserts Allergy-Free Desserts
by Elizabeth Gordon
mexican-made-easy-everyday-ingredients-extraordinary-flavor Mexican Made Easy: Everyday...
by Marcela Valladolid
desserts-4-today Desserts 4 Today
by Abby Dodge
fruits-of-the-harvest-recipes-to-celebrate-kwanzaa-and-other-holidays Fruits of the Harvest: Reci...
by Eric V. Copage
american-vegan-kitchen American Vegan Kitchen
by Tamasin Noyes
cook-with-jamie Cook with Jamie
by Jamie Oliver
antipasti-fabulous-appetizers-and-small-plates Antipasti: Fabulous Appetiz...
by Joyce Goldstein
salmon-a-cookbook Salmon: A Cookbook
by Diane Morgan
the-splendid-tables-how-to-eat-weekends The Splendid Table's How to...
by Sally Swift, Lynne Rosetto Kasper
the-country-cooking-of-ireland The Country Cooking of Ireland
by Colman Andrews
baked-new-frontiers-in-baking Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito
rosas-new-mexican-table-friendly-recipes-for-festive-meals Rosa's New Mexican Table: F...
by Roberto Santibanez
hudson-valley-mediterranean-the-gigi-good-food-cookbook Hudson Valley Mediterranean...
by Laura Pensiero
arthur-schwartzs-new-york-city-food Arthur Schwartz's New York ...
by Arthur Schwartz
mom-a-licious Mom-a-Licious
by Domenica Catelli
Already a member? Click here to Log In
close

Sign up to Cookstr!

  • Receive a free, handpicked selection of recipes in your inbox weekly
  • Save, share and comment on your favorite recipes in My Cookstr
  • Get updates on new Cookstr features and tools







By signing up you accept the
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Spinner
New to Cookstr? Click here to Sign Up
close


Forgot your password? Click here